Back to You
by albertadreams
Summary: JISA/ AU/ SETS IN S07E13 / LOST HIGHWAY/ Alternative version of the episode – Lisa is back in town to sell Fairfield but she didn't come alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Back To You**

JISA/ AU/ set in S07E13 / LOST HIGHWAY/ Alternative version of the episode – Lisa is back in town to sell Fairfield but she didn't come alone.

(So...I have a confession to make. Last time I mentioned that I've started three Jisa stories. The first one "Stay with me" is already uploaded.  
While writing the second one "A Place to be" my computer decided to hate me and destroyed the whole file... -,- well you can imagine how mad I was...still am... . So, unfortunately we have to skip on story no. 2 which as a change had nothing to do with Jisa's break up! I swear! Really really sorry for that! Blame it on my cruel computer. He is still grounded. Probably for the rest of the year.  
Here comes no. 3 then. The main idea came from a Jisa friend of mine who gave me the permission to turn it into a little story. Thx :D ! btw: She is the one who makes those wonderful Jisavideos on YouTube! Follow her on jisa fanvideos

I suck at long term stories HA! So after rereading what I had produced so far I was really unsatisfied which brought me to the decision to split the stuff into chapters. This should give each part of the story enough time and space to be written.

I don't own any of the characters or anything that was spoken or shown in that episode.  
English is not my native language, pls excuse any grammatical mistakes.)

Chapter 1

It was the first week of October where the days often came with unpredictable changes in weather that made it hard for everyone to plan ahead decently. Even on this day the morning started out to be pretty nice with a bit of warming sunshine on that autumn day. Yet, light clouds covered the sky now and brought a cool breeze along that went through the already sparse treetops. The rustle of the colourful leaves filled the streets of Hudson with a soft melody and fallen leaves danced through the air. The wind carried them from one place to the other and added a new layer on the many piles that leaned here and there against the trees. In between a carpet of a yellowish and reddish shade that covered the ground of the pavement. On it the steps of a few people that made their way through the streets, none of them really in the mood to stop and chat with one another. The weather didn't promise to shift back to sunshine since darker clouds were already visible at far end of the sky. There were several greetings between some of the pedestrians but not much more. Everyone was pretty keen to get inside somewhere. Light coats were shut tight and collars were put upright to screen from the upcoming wind.  
Even Lisa Stillman who just stepped out of the real estate agency pulled the sides of her brown suede coat together and folded her arms around her body. Like many she was a bit surprised by the sudden change of weather and was, like the others, not dressed adequately. Living in this country for all her life should have given her enough experiences to know better, but spending the whole year in France where the climate is much warmer, spoilt her just a bit. A shiver run through her as the wind blew strands of loose hair in her face which she stroke back behind her ear. With a sigh her husky blue eyes scanned the sides of the so familiar street of the town. This place had been her home all her life. Since she was a little girl and her father ran the well known _Fairfield Stables_ , her mother had driven her into town every now and then to do some mother-daughter shopping and to run into _Danny's Ice Cream Dream_ to grab a cone of the best ice cream in whole Alberta. Unfortunately that place closed many years ago with Danny's death and was replaced by a lawyer's office – Attorney Ralph something, Lisa tried to recall but actually didn't really care who ran that place. She had had enough of those kind of lots. Those who sat behind some desk, flicking through some folders of forms pretending to know everything about you. She had had enough of those people in fancy suits, those who seemed to sleep with their cellphones in one hand and the coffee-to-go mug in the other one. Those who always talk to you condescendingly, when talking with you at all – economy, business and money where the main subjects in their lives. Lisa hated the impersonality among those kind of people and she hated how they made her feel. She had spent an awfully lot of time with those people herself while running her business over the last decades and yes, there were times where she kinda got used to them. Heck, she even once was married to one of them. But that changed. There was a lot that had changed over the last few years and now there would be another change in her life. A new step. An old door that is about to close behind her and a new one that already stood wide open waiting for her to step trough finally. It wasn't easy but it needed to be done. She was going to sell Fairfield and everything that would keep her here. Alberta wouldn't be her home any longer and Lisa Stillman would no longer exist in this country. The future was soon going to be written in France where she was planning to expand the European part of her breeding business. The last twelve months had been quite busy despite the circumstances that made her leave her home in the first place. Spending the whole year in France helped a lot to tighten her relationships with old and new friends and business partners. There was a lot that was going on over there and there were many chances of success that would spread her name over whole Europe. Rejecting such opportunities would probably be the most stupid thing you could do as a business woman. Yes, as a business woman. Lisa wasn't sure if she still felt that way. After all those years and after all what happened during this time, she wasn't sure if business was what she was still longing for. Of course, the business trait would always be a part of her and she needed to earn money for a living, but somehow she felt that all of this wasn't that important to her anymore. It was something society expected from you but it definitely wasn't something that fulfilled her. Especially in the last few years she had learnt that there were far more important things in life – friends, family, solidarity, safety, home, love. But considering the situation a few months ago those things didn't seem to be in the cards for her. So, leaving was the only option. Leaving and walking down that business path which felt more and more disconcerting. Particularly in France. The French people were one of a kind – she liked them and she always felt welcome among her French friends, no question but the bureaucratic part that kept her busy since she had decided to move over to Europe was no fun at all. It was even worse than the stuff she had to deal with over here. Deregistering from all the Canadian authorities turned out to be pretty easy. Well, at least easier than applying for and getting all the licenses in France. Somehow it seemed that her home country actually wanted her to leave. Sometimes it felt too easy. Even putting Fairfield on the market went well and there were already quite a few people that were interested in buying the place – the reason why she drove into town today– to talk to her real estate agent who was just another guy in a fancy suit behind some stupid desk, flicking through some stupid folder and hanging on his stupid phone half of the time. Lisa was really annoyed but kept her mouth shut about it. After all he was just another guy in a fancy suit... and why complaining when the sale was almost completed and she wouldn't be living here anymore. There was enough to put up with when she had to go back to France. She'd better save her energy for what lay in front of her, hoping that everything would turn out just fine and she wouldn't miss her home too much. Him too much.  
'Ok, here it goes again.' Lisa sighed, trying hard to send her thoughts into a different direction. Thinking about him always left her devastated and she really couldn't use this right now. Not again. So she closed her eyes for a moment when all of a sudden she felt someone grabbing her from behind.  
"Hello beautiful.", a familiar voice rang out right beside her ear, followed by a soft kiss on her cheek. The grip around her waist tightened while that someone pulled her body closer to him.  
After being startled for a split of a second Lisa recognized Renard, her boyfriend who just returned from the the book store where he spent the time while she went to that appointment with her real estate agent. She smiled and put her hands on his that were resting on her belly.  
'At least some distraction', she thought and leaned against him.  
"So how did it go?", the faint sound of a French accent resonated in his masculine voice. Although he spoke a really good English since he lived in England for quite some time and worked as a sales manager in whole Europe and parts of Asia, the French sounds slipped in every now and then. It actually was kind of charming and yes, Renard was a charming, good looking French man. He was about her age, yet two heads taller. Well, compared to most men Lisa looked quite small but this didn't change anything about the big, generous heart she carried within herself - something Renard didn't always rate as a good characteristic trait. In his opinion Lisa was too kind-hearted and he was afraid that people would take advantage of her good nature. After all he just wanted the best for her and he didn't like the thought that she was played on. Especially in the branch where both of them worked. Business life was a tough life and you needed to be tough when you want to survive. Those were his words which he repeated very seriously every now and then when he tried to persuade Lisa again to be at least a little bit stricter to her employees and costumers. But all Lisa could do was to laugh about it. She didn't laugh at him and his opinion but rather about the differences between their two cultures. The French were always so serious while she just tried to enjoy life and see the things as positive as possible. She didn't consider herself any better than her staff or the people she worked with only because she owned some business. In her view they were all equal and it was far from her mind to boss others around. Renard tried hard to respect her ways but it wasn't always easy for him. "Good. We found the right people that are going to buy it and I actually like the idea that they would like to carry on the breeding business. Not with thoroughbreds though. I think they mentioned some Hanoverian breeding.", Lisa answered.  
"Did they agree to the price?", he changed the topic while stroking back some more loose strands of hair that the wind blew into her face again. He was a businessman and not that much into horses, so Lisa didn't blame him for this question although it bothered her slightly to talk about the money. Since she knew that it would end in a debate about finances and profit if she'd tell him that she agreed to a lower price than the one that was set up, she decided to keep it for herself. It was much more important to her that Fairfield would operate as what it had always been than caring about the money. But of course, Renard wouldn't understand. He didn't need to know.  
"Everything fine.", she said and patted his arm.  
"Wonderful. Let's celebrate with a cup of coffee. What do you say?", he let his eyes wander along the side of the street looking for some sign that would tell him where to get a drink.  
"Do you have good coffee in Canada?... Ah, how about Maggies?", he shouted out enthusiastically, moved to her side and grabbed her hand. With a little peck on the back of it, he started to pull her over to the place that lay on the other side of the street.  
The name of the familiar restaurant made her cringe. 'Oh no. Not Maggies! Too many people she knew. Too many memories. And what if they were there at this very moment? What if he was there?' Lisa started to panic. Her heartbeat sped up. She couldn't meet him at any price. Not right now. Not with Renard at her side. She wasn't ready for this yet. How should she explain? He would never understand. Lisa swallowed and resisted to follow him.  
"Ehh, I know a better place. It's on our way home. They put maple syrup in your coffee. You need to try that before we head back to France!", she said with a shaky voice. Lisa actually hated that stuff but didn't care right now. All she wanted was to get away from here. So, despite his puzzled look, she pulled him into the opposite direction to her car and urged him to get in. Renard laughed at her weird acting but jumped in anyway, not only because Lisa told him so but also to get out of the worsening weather. The light clouds had already turned into darker and heavier ones that brought along a strong wind. More and more leaves swirled from the trees through the air before they found their way to the ground but only to be picked up again and carried to another spot. No one was to be seen on the sidewalks now. Only a few cars drove along the street, trying to get home before the approaching storm would reach the town.

Ok, 1st chapter done. Hope you like it :)


	2. Chapter 2

(Alright then. Part II. The Story is still in its beginning so don't expect too much yet :P  
I tried to format it better this time. Hope it's a bit easier to read now. Despite all the errors, but as always: English is not my native language, pls excuse any grammatical mistakes.)

Chapter 2

The streets weren't that deserted than Lisa thought they would be. Yes, the stormy weather had caused that most people hurried inside somewhere but there were still cars on the streets that made their way through the town. At the crossroads the traffic light just turned from red to green, but the truck that had been waiting there didn't indicate at all to continue its way down the street.  
What Lisa hadn't seen was that there was one certain person who had been watching her with his mouth wide open while sitting in this truck at that very crossroad. Obviously he had been waiting for too long since the car behind him honked him out of his frozen state and reminded him of the bright green light. Jack shook his head, swore something into his moustache and tried to concentrate on the traffic instead of what he just witnessed. He hit the gas pedal and crossed the road.  
'Concentrate', he thought. No luck.  
What the hell did he just see?! Somehow it felt like an illusion that he saw Lisa in the middle of town. Had it been really her? Maybe it was just someone who looked similar and Lisa was still thousands of miles away somewhere in France. But then again, there was her so familiar delicate figure, the so familiar beautiful face that he fell in love with, the so familiar movements, the so familiar feeling whenever he saw her. Jack wouldn't call it butterflies. This really sounded like a naive teenage thing and he was far from being a teenager. After living most of his life already he thought much more mature about things like love, yet there was this warm feeling that surrounded his heart whenever he put his eyes on that woman. Back in the days when they first met, Jack would have never thought to feel something like this ever again. He always considered himself too old for that and his first wife's death had left him in an emotionless hole. Until Lisa came around. She brought change. Change that he desperately needed in his life. Lisa was young and full of vitality that turned his life upside down. It wasn't easy for him since he had a hard time to let go of his deceased wife and to open up to a new relationship that captivated him with all the well-known but nevertheless renewed and arousing emotions. After six years with Lisa the excitement was still there. Maybe it was their vacation in France that helped to keep the lights on.  
'Well, it didn't for long' Jack thought with a frown, remembering what had caused their separation. It was straight downhill from there. Lisa had left him as quickly as she had stumbled into his life which kinda made him wonder if their relationship had been for real at all. When she came back after his heart attack Jack could feel that something between them was still there. Something that had never been gone. But it was him this time to tell her off, afraid of the thought that she would sacrifice herself for him. He didn't want that. There was much more she could and should do with her life than taking care of an old grumpy man. Yet at this day, when she came back from France for him and she greeted him with an aloof and uncertain nod, he could feel the same warmth within him like he did right now.  
So, it must have been her. It was her. Lisa is back again and he just saw her standing right at this spot which he passed with the truck at this moment. Jack slowed down a bit so he could read the sign that was hanging above the building's entrance where Lisa stood a few moments ago.  
 _Real Estate Company Framont._  
'Real estate? What was this about?', Jack pondered on what Lisa had to do with the real estate before his eyes moved back to the spot where she had been standing. And right there the clear picture of her and this stranger who had been all over her hit him right in the face. This time the warmth around his heart gave way to a feeling Jack didn't like at all. Uncertainty, fear and anger. All mingled up. Who was that man she was so wrapped up with? The man who had his pitiful arms around her slim waist and his lips on her sensitive skin. Was he some guy from the real estate company? This thought almost made Jack hit the break and rush into that stupid building to find out who he was. He wanted to find him and look him into the eyes, shouting very inappropriate things at him. But then again it was none of his business anymore. He didn't have the right to feel jealous and he didn't have the right to interfere in Lisa's life. They split months ago.  
Jack tried to remember how many months had past since then when a tumultuous noise from the right ripped him out of his deep thoughts.  
In the last moment and only from the corner of his eye he saw another car approaching him with squealing tires and in a tearing speed. Automatically Jack yanked the stirring wheel around and hit the break vigorously to get the back of his truck out of the way. The driver had a hard time slowing down and Jack could already see the car piercing through the side of his truck, flinging it to the other side of the street and leaving himself smashed between all the sheet metal and the wall of some building. Everything happened in fast but at the same time slow motion and the next second Jack found his truck sliding over the asphalt coming to a halt right next to a lamppost.  
'Jeez! This was close!' was the only thing Jack could think of in this second before he was able to come back to his senses.  
The other car had missed the back of his truck only by inches and rushed past him, stopping in the middle of the crossroads. Jack immediately turned his head and tried to spot the driver, making sure that he was alright, when a few other people jumped out of their vehicles to come for help.  
Suddenly the door on the passenger side of his truck was ripped open and Tim Flemming's face appeared at the same place.  
"Where the heck did you get your driver's license?!", his ex-son-in-law shouted at him.  
Jack had no idea what he was talking about nor where he just came from and was still trying to catch sight of the involved driver. Luckily the man jumped out of his car at that moment, shaking his head while he threw his hands up in despair. Relieved Jack leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart beat hard and fast beneath his chest. He tried to calm down.  
"Jack?", Tim re-emphasized who looked at him with a worried expression now. "Are you alright?", his hand shook his shoulder.  
"Yeah... everything's fine." He needed a moment to slow down his heartbeat that made it difficult for him to breath.  
'This was close', he thought again. Close to being involved in a terrible car accident. Close to killing someone. Close to being squashed to death himself. And why? Because again he lost himself in thoughts and emotions about Lisa. Currently, she was a boon and a bane at the same time. Jack sighed and opened his eyes to look at Tim. It was the second time already that he was there in case of an emergency. Although Jack did not like to admit it he was thankful for his ex son-in-law to be in the right place at the right time. At least sometimes.  
"What happened?", Jack asked confused while he unbuckled himself with still shaky hands.  
Tim looked at him in astonishment: "Really?", he asked doubtfully.  
With a groan Jack got out of the truck, walked around it and looked at the scenario on the crossroads. Luckily there were no more cars involved than the green Toyota that still stood in the middle of the street while there were a few people that had gathered around the driver.  
Tim stepped beside him.  
"Well, you really should consider redoing your driver's license. You jumped the red light!"  
Jack turned his head to look at him with one raised eyebrow before he looked up to find a traffic light hanging right above their heads that was dangling dangerously in the heavy wind. He did not even realize that there was a traffic light at all when he drove down this road. And of course after coming back to his senses Jack remembered that it had been there all this time. He had been passing this intersection for years and never overlooked that traffic sign, but today was different. Jack was so lost in thoughts that he completely forgot about it and put himself and others in danger. He felt like an idiot. Like a stupid senile man.  
Slowly he started to make his way over to the crowd of people when the first raindrops started to fall from the sky. From far distance Jack could hear a police horn approaching.  
'This is just great. The day couldn't get any better.' he thought with a frown on his face and the picture of Lisa faded out of his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

(So sorry for the delay! The week had been really busy! But I hope you all are still with me. Part 3 of the story.  
English is not my native language, pls excuse any grammatical mistakes.)

Chapter 3

The night had been really rough while the storm swept across the country and kept everyone awake. There was a lot of thunder and lighting that came along with heavy rain and wind. Everything that wasn't nailed down would just take off and fly through the pitch dark night that was only illuminated by quite a few thunderbolts every now and then. Luckily there wasn't that much broken on Fairfield since most of the things were already removed for the upcoming sale.  
After the storm had passed and the sun appeared at the morning sky Lisa decided to start the day early and go for a ride in the country side. She hadn't been able to sleep well, not only because of the terrible weather but also because thoughts kept crossing her mind. Like they did so very often. In the last months Lisa's sleep had been very unstable. Sometimes she would lie awake till dawn while Renard slept safe and sound right beside her. During those nights she would think about anything and everything and her head wouldn't stop to go through the same thoughts over and over again. It was exhausting and she constantly was in a irritable mood – often on Renard's cost. Poor guy. Lisa felt really sorry that he was the one who had to put up with her bad temper most of the time. Of course he kept asking her questions about it but Lisa would never go into details. On his advice she went to see a psychiatrist to get help with the insomnia but she already knew what the problem was. It was no secret to her but she kept it a secret from everyone else. Nobody needed to know. She needed to get over it. She needed to forget it. She needed to forget him. She needed to carry on with her life. Coming back to Alberta was probably not the smartest thing to do. The thoughts were back and they were back even worse than before.  
It was still early when she crossed the field that lay next to Fairfield's yearling paddock. There weren't many horses on it since she sold most of them already, but when her grey horse trotted along the fence two youngster came over curiously to join them lively till the end of the paddock. Lisa smiled to herself, amused by the lightness and unspoilt nature that came along with those young spirits. She had always liked the young horses the most. They were so full of liveliness and openness and she liked to be their confidential person. That's what she had always loved about her job, to raise young horses, giving them a good start into life that made them successful in whatever people would buy them for. It was different to many other horse breeders or people that own horses as a source of income. Val Stanton for instance. She was one of those people that hardly cared about the animals but much more about the money. Ok, even Lisa couldn't recall all the horse's names that she owned at one point of time and yes, she depended on the money as well, but she cared. She cared a lot about her horse's well being and their future and she would always take them back if plans didn't work out well in their new homes. All of this was probably the reason why her business was successful during all this time and costumers liked to buy horses from her stock. They were sane, resilient and reliable.  
Furthermore, this was probably the reason why she learnt to value Heartland so much. The place that wasn't much at first sight, but that held wonderful things under its roof. Healing horses, healing hearts. Not only the hearts of abused horses but also of people that were looking for help and a sympathetic ear. People that needed a second chance in life or that were simply searching for a change of direction. Heartland was a place that cared. They cared about those that came with honesty and gratitude. Somehow Lisa had always felt right at this place, despite the misunderstandings with some of the family members sometimes. But basically she felt that she was like them. She cared and she wanted to help. Even when it meant to just be there and to support the family that had lost an important member in a terrible car accident. Lisa knew that she would never ever take in Marion's role and she never tried to but she wanted to be there for her daughters whenever they needed someone. It hadn't always been easy to actually gain a foothold in the family. As much as Heartland welcomed animals and people in need, Heartland would also give those a hard time that didn't come with problems or broken hearts. Well, Lisa might not have a broken heart back then but she had a big heart that was ready to help. It was Jack only who saw the honesty, faithfulness and generosity in her and it was him who welcomed her into the family. He knew from the start that Lisa was the right one to become part of Heartland. That she would fit into it like no one else. Lisa was grateful for this chance. To be part of them. To be part of him. It made her realize what really mattered in life. Yet, somehow everything slipped through her fingers way too fast. She had it all and now she'd lost it all.  
Her horse had passed the yearling's paddock a while ago already and was now walking on a little sandy path that run next to Fairfield's long driveway. Lisa really enjoyed this little ride. With all the breeding and selling, Lisa didn't get the chance to sit on a horse very often. Her breeding business kept her on the ground most of the time and for years she didn't even have a horse that she would call her "riding horse". There were times where she borrowed one of Heartland's horses whenever Jack and her found the time to stroll through the beautiful landscape and to enjoy some quite time together. However, last year a friend of hers was trying to re-home her grey horse Cinders. She couldn't keep him any longer due to health issues. Lisa wasn't really interested first because she had more horses than she could count and after that incident with Jack she wasn't even sure how the things would develop in her life. Still, her friend seemed very desperate, urging her to at least look at the horse. She was sure that Lisa would be the right one for the gelding and Fairfield would be a nice home for him. So Lisa gave in and the first moment she put her eyes on that beautiful creature, she knew that she would buy him. Since then Lisa still didn't get the chance to work with or ride him very often, especially during her long-term stay in France during the last months. Lisa felt bad about the animal that needed someone to take good care of him, so she decided to sell him as well. It didn't feel good and it didn't feel right, but it needed to be done- both, selling Fairfield and Cinders. Sometimes Lisa couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was letting down everything that meant a lot to her. Her home, her Canadian and family business, her employees, the horses, her friends … Jack. Everything felt really messed up but she had no other choice than forcing herself through it. Hopefully a new start would ease some of the pain that kept following her wherever she went.  
To get away from those unpleasant thoughts, Lisa animated Cinders into a light gallop that would carry her across the adjacent field. The wind blew in her face as they made their way over to the other side where a small pond lay admits a grove of birch trees. Lisa liked to come out here whenever she needed some time for herself and to clear her mind. It was quite a while ago since she had been here but approaching this place made her realize how much she needed this time alone recently.  
France had been quite busy and life was even busier with Renard. He was a good guy and cared a lot about her. But then again he was zealous, ambitious and much more into the business lifestyle than Lisa was these days. He had not only a lot of expectation on himself and his company but also on her and their future together. Sometimes Lisa felt suffocated by him which made life not much easier. Yet, she didn't know what she would do without him nor where she would have ended up after that painful separation from Jack. She suffered for months and pulled back from most of her social life. Friends tried to reach out to her but she blocked them and spent a lot of time in her French house or on the roads to somewhere. Trips without a destination, she used to call them. On one of them, it was more like coincidence, she met Renard. Meeting him gave her the first new lease of life and with his help she tried to forget about the past and look into the future. Although Renard did notice that she suffered from tons of emotional pain and he tried a lot to support her, he didn't know anything about her relationship with Jack. He didn't know that he was the reason for her pain and the one who had given her such a hard time recovering from a broken heart. And it needed to stay this way. She didn't want to reopen old sores. It was still hard enough for her to push Jack out of her mind who always came back - creeping into her head like some thief and stealing all the sanity she still had left. She couldn't meet any of the Heartland folks. It was best to keep their time over here as short as possible and to head back to France full-time soon. Luckily Fairfield would soon be taken over by its new possessors and even Cinders would move to Montana in the next few days. Luckily. Lisa didn't feel lucky at all. Everything was just a big, chaotic mess.  
She slowed down her horse and patted his neck gently as they walked through the grove towards the pond. The storm had caused a lot of damage at this place. There were several trees that lay flat on the ground and a lot of branchwood was spread all over the knee-deep grass. It was kind of hard to stay on the little path that would bring them to the other side, so Lisa guided Cinders close to the edge of the pond to walk around one of the fallen trees. Suddenly she heard a strange buzzing sound from underneath and the grey reared up in panic. Not prepared of such a sudden movement Lisa slid to the side immediately and landed hard on the ground.  
"Cinders!", she called after her horse that took off and left her alone trying to catch her breath. After making sure that she didn't hurt herself, she sat upright and took of the helmet.  
'Good thing to wear one of those!', Lisa thought. Her eyes wandered over the ground to find out where that strange sound had come from. A thin red line right next to her foot was taut around the pond but one of the fallen trees had nearly ripped it apart and lay half upon it. It looked like some portable electric fence that would hinder animals go get into the water, Lisa guessed. Unfortunately, the fallen tree that lay across the path had sent her right into it.  
'Great', she thought, 'Can the day get any better?'.  
This country really did seem to let her down.


	4. Chapter 4

(Alright then, here comes part 4. I hope you don't hate me after reading this chapter  
English is not my native language, pls excuse any grammatical mistakes)

Chapter 4 

Jack was still cleaning up after the storm that had caused quite some damage on Heartland. After the near accident yesterday and the terrible storm this night which both didn't let him sleep at all, he had been in a bad mood all day. Well, if he had to admit it was more the fact that he saw Lisa with another guy in town that made him angry and grumpy. He had been thinking about her all night. What if this was true? She was back from France and she was in a new relationship. With a guy who was more in her league than he was. Should he be happy for her? After all they separated quite a while ago and he was over it, right? Right? To be honest, Jack didn't really know if he was over her. The last months had been so damn busy he didn't even get a lot of time to think about it. Or her. To be honest with everything that was going on after his heart attack, the rehab, the check ups, the medical talks, the time in Arizona, being back on the Ranch and trying to get Tim out of the house, he didn't take time at all to process everything that had happened. Day after day he put off whatever had to do with their past time relationship. Yet, it was still there, buried deep down in his heart and Jack had no idea how he felt about Lisa these days. To find out that she had moved on and he had absolutely no clue about his emotions annoyed him which was the cause of his tense state. The accident and the weather were just a bonus that added to his current mood.  
It was already late afternoon and there were still things left that needed to be fixed. Peter gave him a hand this morning to clean up the driveway which was a big help. Since then Jack was all over the place to run around with his tools and repair the things that were damaged by the storm. Neither Tim nor Ty found the time to help.  
He was just working on one of the paddock fences behind the barn when he heard voices up front that sounded a bit hysterical. Among them Amy's worried voice which caused him to drop his work and see what was going on. It wouldn't be the first time that Amy's costumers would turn a bit impolite and outrageous about her work with horses although she always did a great job in helping animals and their owners. Some people just didn't want to understand what she did. Some people were just too vain to admit that she was gifted when it came to horses. The last thing Jack needed right now were more problems. He wiped off his dirty hands on his work jeans as he made his way through the barn. Close to the entrance he already spotted something that let him stop promptly. His brow furrowed as he recognized what he saw standing there. There was one of those familiar white and posh Fairfield trailers parked outside right next to the round pen. The capital letters of the logo shone big and bright on the side of the vehicle telling him that it was not safe to step outside. Still, his feet automatically carried him slowly closer, as if they wanted to confront him with the situation that he already expected.  
Now he could hear a very familiar female voice from behind the trailer that sent him chills down his spine but still his feet kept taking one step after the other, approaching what was hidden behind the trailer.  
"We should really go. I am so sorry to have dragged you into this, Amy. I didn't want to-", Lisa said but stopped abruptly when all of a sudden Jack stepped around the trailer and looked at the small gathering of people in total disbelief.  
"What is going on over here?", he snapped at them as he came to a halt beside his granddaughter, not sure what to think of the fact that Lisa stood on his property next to the guy he had spotted her in town with yesterday. The frown on his face deepened. Amy whirled around.  
"Grandpa! It's-", her eyes wandered panicky from her grandfather to Lisa and back again. Although she had no idea how he would react to the current situation since he had not said one single word about Lisa for months, Amy knew that everybody was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The air among them seemed to thicken with every second.  
"Everything is fine.", she tried to calm things down with a pressed smile on her face. Nobody ever dared to speak to Jack about Lisa since the separation, not even her dad who after all had a hard time keeping things to himself. Lou was always busy with her job and the kids so she hardly ever spoke about Jack and Lisa with her sister. Amy was the only one who worried about him but to be honest it was hard to mention this topic at all. She did try to talk to her grandfather sometimes, yet the courage often left her even before she said one single word. So here she was not knowing what was going to happen.  
Jack didn't even listen to his granddaughter. His eyes were fixed on Lisa who at the same time looked at him with a somewhat shocked expression. Although they were missing their characteristic sparkle her husky blue eyes were like arrows that bored themselves right into his heart. While examining her within seconds Jack saw that she had lost some weight. Not remarkably much, but it caught his eye. Her hair was still dyed in a brunet tone which in addition to the faint shadow under her eyes made her look exhausted and tired. Nevertheless, now that she stood only meters away with her eyes on him Jack could already feel the warmth growing around his heart. But somehow the once so comfortable feeling now turned into pain. The warmth boiled up into heat that seemed to burn him from the inside. Suddenly Jack realized how he felt about her. After months of burying and hiding all the emotions about her his heart suddenly spit it all out at once. And it was intense. So intense that Jack was afraid it would rip his heart a second time. He had never experienced something like this before. Where was all this coming from? His hand moved up to his chest.  
"Grandpa?", Amy called alarming, afraid that this situation was just too much for his still unstable health status. "Are you alright?", she moved closer and was about to put a hand on his arm, when suddenly something rumbled in the trailer. Everybody turned their heads.  
"What's in there?", Jack wanted to know after a moment of silence and tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible though he still had to deal with all those emotions that clouded up his mind. Lisa was now avoiding his gaze, looking at some point at the ground next to their feet. He could tell that she felt very uncomfortable.  
"Ah this would be Cinders. Lisa's horse.", the guy next to her spoke with a slight accent. He had not said anything at all since Jack appeared from behind the trailer and it seemed like that he didn't even notice the awkward atmosphere which hung in the air. Jack's stare turned to him and looked at him with doubtful eyes.  
He was good looking, mid aged man with dark hair that was half combed to the side. He was dressed in blue jeans and a shirt in a light greenish colour, around his shoulders a dark pullover which arms were tied together in a knot that lay loose on his chest. Dark sunglasses hung from the V-neck of his shirt. Although his eyes looked quite open-minded, Jack noticed the hard and sharp features of his face. The same sharpness he showed in his appearance. He seemed to be very self-confident and determined like someone that knew what to expect from life or what he wanted to reach in life. Jack couldn't find much softness on him which slightly worried him. He knew Lisa too well. Too well to know that she had already been married to a guy like him. A marriage that didn't work out and ended in a divorce because she was a sensualist and he was like this French guy – very determined, always looking for improvement, development and change. Jack was worried that she might get hurt again some day. But than he remembered that he wasn't any better than those men that she had a serious relationship with. He himself was one of the men that hurt her once. Jack himself was one of those idiots that let her go. Maybe that French guy was indeed better off on her side.  
"She had a little accident this morning. Now the horse is spooky and I was hoping that Ms. Flemming here could get him back into shape. Lisa told me a lot about her.", he went on and explained without introducing himself.  
"And you are?", Jack snapped a bit too harshly.  
"Ah, pardon! Renard. Renard Leroy." he stretched his hand towards Jack who shook it reluctantly and only because he was a damn polite idiot.  
"I am Lisa's fiancé."  
As soon as those words were out into the open, Jack choked on his own breath.  
'He was what?!'  
He covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he coughed several times.  
'This is getting even worse than I thought'  
Jack had not been prepared for something like this at all. He looked at Lisa for quite a moment. Now more than ever she avoided his incredulous stare and looked like a child that had been caught while steeling candy secretly.  
'At least look at me!', Jack thought and anger grew within him. She did not. Her eyes were still fixed onto the ground. Sensing that the situation was going to explode any minute and that Lisa didn't make a move towards him at all, Jack felt the strong urge to escape. The anger grew into disappointment.  
"Excuse me.", Jack still coughed a few times, now more pretending than he actually did. "Must have been a fly … I need to get some water...", he turned on his heels and made his way towards the house, leaving Renard and Amy with questioning and worried faces. Jack didn't care, he needed to get away from Lisa or his heart would explode. With long strides he rushed over the driveway. This was just too much. Too much to bear! 

'This is just a nightmare.', Lisa thought as Renard revealed bluntly what she had been trying to avoid the whole time. She was angry with him. Not only because he told Jack about their engagement but for bringing Cinders to Heartland despite her insistence to forget about the accident. It was the last thing she had wanted: coming to Heartland. And much more to give Jack the chance to meet Renard. But here they were and it turned into such a nightmare that Lisa wanted to jump in her car and drive somewhere where nobody would find her. Feeling Jack's persistence gaze on her did not only feel uncomfortable but also made her feel guilty. She couldn't get herself to look at him. After months of separation and zero contact meeting Jack was much worse than she had imagined. But why? Didn't she spent such a long time to forget about everything? Shouldn't she be alright now? The problem was, she did try to forget but she had never talked to anyone about it which made it hard to process the things. Everything had been put into pause modus. Now back at the place where they spent so much time together the whole thing was back in play. Lisa didn't know how to react to the whole situation. The only thing she knew was that time didn't heal any of the wounds! The wounds were ripped open again and were even deeper than before. Even the revelation about her engagement with Renard opened another wound. She saw how hard it hit Jack in the face. She noticed how much pain it caused him. She felt bad because she was the reason for his suffering. Yet, on the other hand there was this feeling of guilt towards Renard. Shouldn't she be the one to support him? Shouldn't she stand by his side and shouldn't she stop worrying about Jack? It was all twisted up. It was the other way around. Lisa didn't waste another thought and followed Jack towards the house at a hurried pace.  
"Lisa?!", she heard Renard calling after her when she vanished behind the trailer that stood in the way and thus blocked the view towards the house.  
Amy understood quickly that her grandfather and Lisa needed some personal space and drew Renard's attention to her: "So, Cinders yes? Let's get him out of the trailer."  
Jack was almost at the stairs that led up to the door when Lisa fell into a running pace.  
"Jack! Wait!", she called but he didn't listen.  
"Jack! Please!", she tried again but he ignored her.  
"Jack! Stop!", she insisted loudly, "I need to talk to you!"  
"Well, I certainly don't!", he answered and was about to take the steps. Lisa reached him at this moment and slowed down.  
"Please. Jack?", she pleaded, calmer this time, knowing that he would run away from too much pressure anyway.  
He swung around. "What are you doing here, Lis'? ... Why did you bring _him_ here?!", he pointed back towards the barn, but his eyes never left hers. She could see that he was hurt and angry mingled with something that could be insecurity and fear.  
'Well, good question.', a voice said in her head. What was she doing here? All of this had never been part of the plan when she decided to come back to sell Fairfield. And yet, destiny brought them back together.  
She hesitated. Was it right to tell him? Well, sooner or later he would find out anyway.  
"I am selling Fairfield. And-", she couldn't go on. Realizing that her home would soon be taken over by some stranger people and she would leave everything that she valued so much behind was hard.  
"-and you're moving to France? Marrying this smoothy? Is it that what you want to tell me?", he finished her explanation. "I really can't believe that!" Jack shook his head in disbelief.  
Lisa was a bit taken back by the harsh tone in his voice, but who could blame him? Well, who could blame her? He was the one who told her to leave when she came back from France to take care of him after the heart attack. He was the one who turned his back on her.  
"What did you expect from me?! To wait for you? To wait until you would call me or that you would come to France? You made perfectly clear that you didn't want whatever this is...I mean was...whatever this was between us!", she confronted him through gritted teeth to keep her voice down but boiled from the inside. The fact that he played the victim of all those circumstances made her furious.  
"Well, seems like it didn't take you very long to get over it. Or how do you explain that you are already engaged to this guy? After how many months?!"  
"He helped me to get over you!" It was hard to keep her voice down right now, but Lisa managed somehow.  
"So? And? Did it work?"  
"No!... I mean, yes... no, it didn't", Lisa admitted quietly, her eyes full of honesty.  
"Well, as far as I understand he must have laid you at first chance. And you? So desperate?", there was no chance Jack would give in. With this chaotic mixture of all the emotions within him he kept fighting against her which caused him to say thoughtless and hurtful things. He wanted to hurt her like she had hurt him.  
Before Lisa could even think about her actions, she slapped him right across the face for this lowbrow assumption but bit her lip regretfully one second later. Never in her life had she hit someone. Never. And wow, she had always thought it would feel good to vent one's anger but it didn't feel good at all. It felt bad. Really bad. Now it was official: everything was just a whole damn mess. Her whole life had turned into a mess. They looked at each other with mixed feelings.  
"I think you should go.", Jack was very calm, knowing that he had gone too far. Lisa had all the right to act that way. He was a jerk and he couldn't guarantee for anything that might happen now.  
"Go and make up your mind.", he added while turning around. He took the steps up to the house and disappeared through the door leaving her there at the bottom of the stairs. Alone.


	5. Chapter 5

(HA you actually did like the last chapter! Wonderful! Than let's keep going. Part 5!  
English is not my native language, pls excuse any grammatical mistakes)

Chapter 5

Back at Fairfield the next couple days were like a torture. The house was quite empty since the moving company had already loaded most of the furnishing. The last sold horses were picked up this morning and the ones Lisa kept for her breeding business were brought to the airport to transport them to France the next day. Tomorrow she would dismiss all her employees and the day after the new owners of Fairfield Stables would come by to sign the sales contract. There were so many things to organize and to do that she hardly had any quiet time to process what had happened a few days ago. She kept running around with a heavy head and an even heavier heart that screamed to be taken care of but all she could do was pushing it down, back to were it had been the last whole year. It didn't make anything better. It just made everything even worse. All in all Lisa felt pretty terrible. She had really hoped that selling and leaving would be much easier, especially because her future awaited her already in France. It wasn't as if she didn't have any plans concerning the things that lay ahead. There were plans. In business life and in private life. Well, it would have been much easier if the incident at Heartland wouldn't have happened. That really blew up into a major issue. An issue that raised her doubts towards the things ahead and especially those that held Renard in it. Lisa was totally unsure if it was the right way to go. Was she doing the right thing? Was she stepping through the right door?  
'Make up your mind.', he had said and yes, that's what she was trying to do really hard for days despite the lack of time. Renard wasn't much of a help. In fact Lisa avoided him mostly by keeping herself busy with the things that needed to be done at Fairfield. Since the day at Heartland he was trying to get to her. He wanted an explanation what she had to do with those ranch people. He wanted to know why she had been acting so weird and he wanted to know why she closed herself to him. Neither of these questions she was ready to answer but he kept pushing her whenever there was an opportunity, not sensing that she needed some quiet time and not sensing that she felt devastated by the course of events. It was all too much to for her. She couldn't get herself to sleep or to eat and every day there were still tons of stuff to do in preparation of the sale and the move to Europe.  
It was already dark outside when Lisa stood on the back porch of her house. She held a cup of steaming tea in her hand while she looked into the distance that included the now empty horse fields. The last time she had been here was quite a while ago but she remembered it well. It was one of those seldom occasions when Jack surprised her with some Chinese take out and a bottle of wine at her place. He didn't come over to Fairfield very often. Always saying that he couldn't settle in here. Well, she had never expected him to and she liked the warming atmosphere at Heartland where they spent a lot of time together. Still, it always meant a lot to her when he showed up at the front door of her house every now and then, trying to pull himself together and to impress her. She was touched by the effort he made and she loved him for those little lovely surprises. That day was one of these days. They sat right there on the porch swing, entwined in each other and talking about anything and everything. She had always loved their talks especially because of the amount of experiences he had made throughout life. He was a good storyteller and adviser and she loved to listen to his voice, particularly when it was close to her ear and she could feel his warm breath tickling on her skin. Then she would snuggle up to him, leaning her head against his and enjoying the moment where the time seemed to stand still for just the two of them. A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she remembered those wonderful times with him. It seemed like an eternity ago. Too much had happened meanwhile.  
"Lisa?"  
She was ripped out of her thoughts and quickly wiped off the tears from her face before she turned around to spot Renard standing on the threshold of the door. His facial features were soft. He came in peace.  
Lisa sighed and turned back to look into the cloudy night sky. She didn't want to talk to him but knew that she had to. Some time.  
"Don't you want to come in? It's getting cold out here.", he said truly worried.  
"I am fine.", she blocked him in an emotionless voice. Again Renard didn't back off but came closer to stand behind her and put his arms around her waist. But instead of feeling secure and comfortable, this embracement made her skin crawl . This touch did not feel good at all. It felt disconcerting and wrong. A sharp coldness run through her body and Lisa couldn't do anything about it but feeling utterly uncomfortable in his arms that made her cringe.  
"I can't. I can not do this!", she almost cried, escaping from his hug, turning around and taking a few steps back.  
"Lisa, what is going on? You have been acting like this since we've come back from this ranch. What the hell is wrong with you?" Renard was confused and ran his hands through his hair. "Can we talk about this, please?"  
Lisa looked at him.  
'Yes, what was going on?', a voice in her head asked the same question. What did just happen? Since when did he feel so strange to her? Wasn't he the man she spent the last months with? The man she loved? The man she would marry? The man she would spent the rest of her life with? This thought made her cringe a second time.  
No. No. No. No! This was not how it should be. This was not right!  
"I...I can't do it Renard! I can't sell this place.", she tried to make a start, still trying to figure out the sudden change of emotions towards him. 'Make up you mind' Jack had said. She was finally doing it now, yet it still took her some time to understand. Looking at Renard was enough to realize that the whole path she had been walking on the last year was wrong. She had taken the wrong turn and she had ended up on the wrong street. To be honest the whole year had felt quite strange to her, but she tried to ignore this feeling and to get used to it. She hadn't realized that life wanted to tell her that she was walking down the wrong path. Nevertheless, it had brought her here. Here she was, standing with her fiancé on the porch of her property that she was about to sell and knowing that her heart and her soul were still rooted at this place and with another man.  
"What do you mean?", he asked, not understanding at all and ripping Lisa out of her thoughts.  
"I cannot leave this place. It's my home. I have put far too much effort into it. It feels wrong to give it up!"  
"Well, you're not giving it up. You are moving it to France. Remember? You are moving to France. With me."  
'Right and this was the whole problem.', she thought. She couldn't move to France full-time and she couldn't live with him. Her heart was here. Her heart was with Jack. It had always been. The only thing Renard did over all this time was to distract her. To suppress how she really felt. She distracted herself from her own feelings. Renard was just a distraction from all of this over here but she had never learnt to let it go. Everything became so clear to her at this moment. Yet, her silence seemed to unsettle him even more.  
"Lisa! What is all this about? You don't want to come to France!? What about your business over there? What about all those opportunities? Think about all the success that awaits you there. There were like a dozen of sponsors who agreed to support your business plans. Remember? You could make yourself a name in whole Europe! You could be part of the high society! You've got it all!", he went on and on and Lisa felt more and more that this wasn't what she wanted at all. She had been there. She had lived this life. With Dan. And it was good. Of course there were their private ups and downs but their business bloomed and it brought her a lot of success even after her divorce from Dan. But now? She didn't want all this stress and excitement a second time. All she wanted was to settle down. To live a quiet life. To come home to a place where people wouldn't judge you on what you have but on who you are.  
"Hello? Would you mind speaking to me!?", Renard was really upset right now. He wanted answers and explanations but Lisa wasn't ready to tell him yet. She was still busy to figure them out for herself. Patience wasn't something Renard was good at. Before Lisa could say something he kept pushing her even more.  
"Alright. So you don't want to sell. You don't want to move to France. What about me then? Where does this leave us? We are about to marry, right? Or is this also something you don't want? Is it because of this old cowboy at the ranch? Is he what all this is about? Who is he? What do you have to do with him?"  
Lisa couldn't cope with all those questions. Again he put so much pressure on her that it felt like he was shackling her. The cold of the night really crept into her bones right now that added to the coldness Renard caused within her. She couldn't handle this any longer. She needed to get away from here. From him.  
"I..I-", Lisa tried, but there was not much more she could say.  
"You what? Lisa I want an explanation _now_!"  
"Just give me some space to think, would you!", she shouted at him and hurried passed him, inside the house, walking away from him. Her heart screamed. It screamed for some rest. For some place where she could finally find peace in her soul. The tears were back now. She was so desperately longing for someone or something that would take all the burdens from her shoulders, that would lift her up and ease her from all the pain that had grown over the time. Tears were running down her cheeks now as she locked herself into the bedroom and slid down the door to bury her face in her hands.

(I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as possible)


	6. Chapter 6

(Soo sorry to upload so late. Actually wanted to post the next chapter much sooner but then one of you said "Hopefully there will be a Jack POV", and I was like "Uhm no", but then I was like "Hell, yes! We definitely should have one!" and so I squeezed one in. While the next chapter is already almost finished, I had to write Jack POV from the start. So uploading took a bit longer than I expected. Here ya go. Hope you like it.  
Engish is not my native language, so pls excuse any grammatical mistakes and the ones where my head is like "blahbahblah" ;) )

Chapter 6

Bad mood. That would really sum it all up. Bad mood. Jack was in a really bad mood. Since when? Since a couple of days. Since Lisa and this Renard Leroy had been here to be exact. _Renard Leroy_... fancy name, fancy guy? Someone who had it all? Someone who could give her everything? Someone who was worth to live with? To spend the rest of her life with? Someone who matched her much better than he did? Well, what was he himself able to give anyway? A herd of cows? And those he owned were not even fancy cows. Ha! No luck. If he'd just have some fancy cows to give her. Jack almost rolled his eyes to this last thought while he was busy to saddle up his horse Paint who was patiently waiting, tied to one of the stables in the barn.  
It was already midday when Jack needed to get out of the house. He really loved his family but currently everyone was just too much to deal with. Jack wanted to be alone with no one around him in the next ten miles. But this didn't work out well when you live in a crowded house with young and lively people. There was never one minute without someone being up and about. If it wasn't Katie, Georgie or Amy then it was Tim who decided to come over to escape his own loneliness at Big River Ranch. Tim was really the last one Jack needed right now. He had never had the tactfulness that would tell him to just shut up when someone was not in the mood to talk. Jack really felt like punching him in the face most of the time or at least to kick him off his property, but then – he was his granddaughter's father after all. Jack didn't want to cause even more trouble than he already did. So he chose to leave instead and decided to go for a ride. Alone. Well, accompanied by the dark cloud above his head that followed him everywhere these days.  
While he was brushing off and saddling Paint, Jack was pretty aware of the grey horse that stood right next to the stable where Paint was tied to. What was his name again? Cider? Ciders? Cinders? Cinders! Yes. After that incident a few day ago, Lisa must have left him here after all so Amy could work on the nervousness he showed when approaching water. As far as Jack knew he came along pretty well and was a lot of fun on the jumping course. Georgie really liked this horse. She always had a passion for the greys but Cinders was a really nice animal that caught everyone's heart. He was also quite curious and right now kept staring at Jack, following every movement he made with his eyes. Jack tried hard to ignore him. Every time he looked at that horse, he saw Lisa standing right there, trying to reach out to him. Jack knew that this was just a stupid imaginary picture in his head that resulted from the recent circumstances. He didn't want to give it to much attention. However, from the corner of his eye he watched the grey as it leant its head over the door, swinging its nose up and down and pushing forward to get closer to him.  
'What is wrong with this horse?', Jack thought as Amy entered the barn with a bucket of horse feed in her hand.  
"Hey grandpa.", she said carefully.  
Jack just nodded his head, put a fake smile on his lips and slipped the bridle over his horse's ears. Like he said, no alone-time. Nowhere. Jack sighed to himself, yet Amy noticed and although she always had a hard time talking to her grandfather about Lisa, she really needed to do something now. Everyone was suffering from Jack's recent behaviour. Despite Amy's worries to enter some dangerous zone, she walked up to her grandfather and helped him to tie the girth of the saddle.  
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?", she tried cautiously, not referring to the fact that Lisa showed up at the ranch, but to the private talk she and Jack had behind that trailer.  
"Nothing. Everything is honky-dory.", Jack didn't even react to her help with the horse.  
"Grandpa, come on.", Amy now turned around to look at him seriously, one hand still on the stirrups.  
"It's Lisa. She is selling her place and moving to France full-time. And you want to know what's best? She is going to marry this French hottie." he said with a bitter tone in his voice. Thinking about all of this, raised the anger in him once more. He was so angry about all of this, but mostly about himself for having made such a terrible mistake months ago. But back then it seemed to be the only right decision. She had to go and live on without him while he would just spend the rest of his life with his non-fancy cows and the bodily defects that came with age. She shouldn't be the one to take care of him. She deserved better than that. Especially in her stage of life. So he expected her to live her life and yeah, maybe to live her life with someone else. Back then Jack would have never thought that seeing her with someone else would hurt so much. He thought it would be easier to let her go.  
Again Cinders shook his head towards him and snorted through his nose, making funny movements with his lips on the wooden door. Jack only caught his weird acting from the corner of his eye before Amy spoke up again.  
"Grandpa, I'm so sorry. I really hoped you two would work something out."  
"Yeah, me to.", he answered and was about to make his way out of the barn when Amy held him back on his arm.  
"Well, then don't give up! And don't let dad get to you!.", she said, talking about the argument in the house earlier. "Grandpa, Lisa loved you. And you loved her. You don't just have to let it end like this."  
Jack knew she was right, but what should he do? It was all Lisa's decision who she would rather be. She was engaged to another man. She was in a relationship. He had no right to interfere. Yes, he loved her back then and he still loved her now, but he didn't know if this was the same with Lisa. Maybe she did love someone else now. She had not tried to contact him in the last couple days. He told her, to make up her mind. Maybe she did.  
"I don't think that this is my decision to make, Amy." he said and guided Paint towards the entrance of the barn. When he passed the stables Cinders took the chance to push his nose against his arm, trying to get some attention. Jack slightly stumbled to the side and looked at the horse. Again he saw Lisa standing right there. She looked at him with her beautiful husky blue eyes and her so familiar lips moved silently, trying to tell him something he couldn't understand. Jack shook his head.  
'I am really going crazy right now.', he thought to himself.  
"This guy seems really bored. You should turn him out with the other horses.", he said pointing at Cinders and left the barn.  
With a frown on her forehead Amy looked at the empty stable her grandfather just pointed at, not knowing who he referred to. What horse did he talk about? She already turned out all of them this morning. The barn was empty. With a worried expression she looked after him as he rode across the driveway to the field and made his way up the hill only to disappear in the distance.

Finally. It felt good to come out here. Nobody would show up at this piece of land anytime soon. Jack stopped Paint at the top of some hill that overlooked the beautiful scenery of the area that lay behind his 600 acre of ranch land. This place was pretty isolated from the rest due to the rough nature one had to cross first. So, he didn't worry that he would meet anybody. Jack himself hadn't been here for a really long time. It must have been many many years ago, some time right after Lyndy's death. Back then it felt right to take the tough route to get up here. Today it felt the same.  
The air up on the hill was fresh and invigorating, something Jack could really use right now. All the inconvenience at the ranch lay miles back and the cool autumn breeze blew off the burdens the others had loaded upon him. Jack took a deep breath to fill his lungs with the strength that was given by nature.  
While Paint was calmly standing on top of the hill, Jack reached for his shirt pocket and pulled out a silver wedding ring. It lay lightly in his palm. Quite a while ago he used to carrying around his grandmother's wedding ring in his pocket day after day - always trying to find the right moment to ask Lisa if she would marry him. It was way before the break up. He was meaning to purpose to her during their week in France but the right moment never showed up. He wanted to do it back at Heartland but even there he couldn't find the right time. Shortly afterwards everything just screwed up. He screwed up. Why the heck did he never take the chance and ask her? There actually were moments when he should've asked! Why didn't he? He didn't because he was afraid. He was afraid that their marriage wouldn't work out at the end due to the many differences that lay between them. He couldn't imagine how they would have made their marriage work when she was barely at home and was busy to run a successful horse-breeding business while he spent everyday at his family ranch where he had lived all his life. Both of them were set in their ways and none of them was willing to give it up. How should have a marriage fit into such a life style? Being married by distance? Marriage came along with expectations. Not only from others, which by the way had never bothered them, but sooner or later they would have had expectation to each other. Back then Jack was afraid that those expectations would have driven them apart, that he would have lost her for sure. Their relationship had been working well for so many years, why changing it? What good should have done a ring and vow? Didn't they have more than that already? Obviously they didn't. Jack realized that he actually did loose her. She slipped through his fingers way to fast and there was nothing left that tied them together. The only thing that was left was his immense love her and this stupid ring that reminded him of his own foolishness to let her go. Whereas he was afraid of their differences, he now didn't care about them at all. All he wanted was to get her back. All he wanted was that she would choose to stay with him. Till the end. But it seemed to be too late for this already. Jack looked into the distance and the bad mood crept back into his head which told him to get rid of this ring. To throw it down the hill. 


	7. Chapter 7

( _Phew!_ Actually took me longer than I thought. Soooorry! Again! So let's see what Jack and Lisa are up to this time :P  
English is not my nati- blah blah blah... I guess we all know this by now hahaha) 

Chapter 7

The next day didn't bring much change. Lisa was close to tears the entire time. She actually didn't know why exactly she felt like crying. After all the decision was pretty much clear to her – she needed to take the next turn and walk away from the wrong path she had been on for so many months. She needed to change something. She needed to change something quickly. However, somehow it didn't turn out to be that easy. Although Lisa knew that her future would absolutely not be be happening in France, she had a hard time to imagine how to carry on her life over here...after she had been away for so long. After being separated from Jack for so long. Perhaps it was all the exhaustion and the uncertainty that brought her close to crying. Part of her really wanted to talk to Renard before she would follow her heart, but she couldn't get herself to speak to him, least to say to look at him. During the day Renard tried a few times to talk to her calmly but she kept walking away from him.  
Right now she was dealing really hard with the urge to drive to Heartland to speak to Jack. She tried to resist it first but didn't succeed at all. The desire to at least see him grew with every minute. She had never missed him so insanely before. Not even in France. She wanted to come back to him, she needed to feel his arms around her and she needed to know that he would give her a last chance. Yet, doubtfulness held her back. What would happen once she was there? Did he even want to see her? What if he was still mad at her? What if things would get even worse?  
''How much worse can it get?', she thought ironically.  
'True enough.'  
She already felt like a wreck at the bottom of the sea, unable to free herself from the chains that kept her under water and it seemed that nothing could get her up. She was drowning. Drowning in the darkness of her life. Yet, the last piece of optimism clung to her heart and tried to convince her that everything would be alright. It always was at the end and a tiny glimmer of hope rose within her that her heart would lead her into the right direction.  
So she pulled herself together, grabbed her coat and the keys and rushed out the house to the car not thinking about the dismissal of her employees in a few hours. Luckily Renard was busy with an important phone call and didn't notice her leaving.  
Driving to Heartland had never felt so long before. Lisa knew the way by heart. She had driven it so often that she could close her eyes and tell exactly when to take the next turn. When she used to make her way to Heartland it had always felt like home time. Especially after a busy and hard day at her place she liked to come out here, immersing into a life that was so different to the pompous life she had to deal with day by day. Heartland had always been the place that showed her what really mattered in life. And this didn't include all those fancy people in fancy suits and their impersonal blathering. It was about how people would pull together in bad times. How people would care about one another. It was about being there for each other. Support and solidarity.  
Approaching that place meter by meter brought back all the good memories that made Lisa hit the gas pedal even more.  
Once there she parked her car beside the barn and took a moment to control the chaos in her head. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. This was it. She was here now. There was no way back. Well, there was if she'd just turn around and leave, but she forced herself not to. This needed to be done right now. 'Make up your mind', he had said and she did. She made up her mind and it brought her here. That was the place Lisa needed to be. This was the life Lisa needed to live. Hopefully Jack did, too.  
'Here goes nothing', was the last thought before she opened the door and got out of the car. Her eyes wandered around as someone approached her from behind.  
"Hey Lisa."  
Lisa jumped slightly and turned around.  
"Oh, hi Amy.", she said startled, the uncertainty and trouble resonating in her voice. She swallowed and forced herself to smile, but her eyes kept scanning the surroundings.  
Due to Amy's good emotional sense she noticed immediately that Lisa was quite unsettled. She looked much more tired and exhausted than the last time she had been here which didn't surprise her at all. The day she and this French guy came over had brought a lot of trouble into the family. Well, it was much more her grandfather who caused the trouble. He was totally unapproachable and grumpy from morning till evening. Nobody dared to speak to him. Katie and Georgie seemed to suffer the most under the current circumstances within the family. They had become really quiet and avoided Jack most of the time although he had always been their greatest role model. But now he was more like someone they were afraid of which really was a shame. Lou was pretty upset about it. With her crazy life style she depended on her grandfather most of the time to take care of the kids but since this was out of the question at the moment Lou was even more stressed than usual. Amy tried to talk to her about their grandfather's reasons to act like this but her sister didn't seem to understand. Georgie was with Amy mostly while Tim tried to entertain Katie with some 'real cowboy stuff' when Peter wasn't around. In addition to all that Tim earned some really harsh words from Jack when he teased him about his manner and the bad mood he caused between everyone. All in all life at Heartland had become very stressful which wasn't really a benefit to the already busy days.  
Amy wasn't sure if she should address this topic to Lisa, but decided that it wasn't her task to do. So she led the conversation into a different direction.  
"Are you coming to see Cinders?", she asked friendly.  
"No-", finally Lisa's eyes came to a halt on that young lady. A questionable look on her face.  
'Cinders!', she totally forgot about her horse that was still with Amy. With everything that was going on during the last few days Lisa had not spent one thought on the horse. Good thing to re-home him. She was a terrible and irresponsible owner.  
"Eh yes. I mean later. Do you know where Jack is?", she asked and again her eyes were wandering around impatiently.  
"Uhm yeah, he must be up at the fields fixing some of the fences.", Amy said with a frown on her face, pointing up one of the hills.  
Lisa nodded and without another word got back in her car and drove across the driveway to the small path that led up to the fields. In medium speed she followed the track through the grass that was already flattened by Jack's truck earlier. Her eyes were fixed on the top of the hill, awaiting the spot where she could get a look onto the other side.  
Awaiting to see _him_ there.  
And yes, finally, there he was, standing in the distance next to his truck at the fence and handling with some tools. From this distance where he didn't notice her yet, Lisa took the chance to take in his appearance. She hadn't have time to do so the last day she had been here. But now still in her car, she recognized how handsome he was to her. Well, he wasn't the best-looking man on earth and with his archaic western cowboy appearance not many women would fall for him at first sight. Yet, she had been attracted to him from the beginning. It was the inside of him, that captivated her. People would say that he was a mystery, but he wasn't as soon as you got to know him better. He was a pretty straight-forward guy with good down-to-earth principles that most people missed and especially didn't understand these days. Most were after advancement, success and money, but all of this didn't matter to him. Having a strong and reliable family was what Jack stood up for. Solidarity, helpfulness and honesty were capitalized on Heartland and it was just that, what made him a mystery to many. Lisa had to admit that it had the most appealing effect on her because deep down she was just like him. From a whole different part of society but when it came to her principles they were pretty much the same. Especially while she grew older her business life faded more and more into the background. It was still important to her, but she missed having something that would give her the feeling of safety and steadiness. She had found that on Heartland. She had found that with Jack. And she had lost it.  
With every meter she came closer, her heart sped up even more. It nearly jumped out her throat when she stopped next to his truck. He still didn't notice her coming. Lisa tried to calm herself. It wasn't much of a help to act totally headless right now. But that's what she was: headless and totally with her heart first. As she closed the door behind her with a quiet slam, Jack finally turned around and looked at her.  
Puzzled.  
He hadn't expected her here at all. There was a long pause between them. No one dared to speak up. Jack had never thought that she would actually come back. He was almost sure that she was already back in France since he hadn't heard anything from her in three days.  
Lisa was just too overwhelmed to say something. There was a lump in her throat that hindered her from speaking. All they did was to stare at each other, taking in everything that they loved so much about the other. Finally, after moments of silence where only the soft breeze, that blew gently through the grass, was audible, Jack found his voice and made the first move.  
"Lisa?", it was more a question than anything else and their wasn't much more he could say right now. He wanted to jump towards her and draw her to him, but he wasn't sure what Lisa was up to or why she had come all the way out here.  
By the sound of his voice as he said her name, Lisa couldn't help but starting to cry. All the exhaustion and emotions overcame her at this moment and she couldn't hold back any of it. She had spent the last whole year suppressing anything she felt about that relationship with Jack and now it came back like a enormous ball of fire that set everything around it alight. It was hurtful and the emotional pain almost brought her to her knees. The tears were running down her face but her eyes clung onto his that looked at her worriedly.  
"I..", the words in her head spun around which made it hard for Lisa to get them out. It took her a moment to collect herself.  
"I want to come home. I want to come back to you.", she sobbed desperately with a crack in her voice. Now that she stood here with him, Lisa realized how much effort the last days had cost her. As if all the strength had been sucked out her body. She felt weak and drained but she stood her ground, determined to get back what belonged to her all along.  
Jack didn't waste another second. He had waited for too long already to bring this woman back into his life. It was the last chance to fix the mistake that once was made. Stupid as he was, he let her go. This time she needed to stay. Without another thought he took off his work gloves, threw them to the side and hurried over to her. With the lightest movement he gathered her into his arms, lifting her up and holding tight onto her. Lisa's face buried itself deep into his neck. His heart beat hard against hers as she pulled herself forcefully against his body. She fit perfectly into him as if never anything had happened. Yet, only the two of them could sense that the distance hadn't separate them but bound them even closer together. They desperately clung to each other for a long moment, enjoying the physical contact and the feeling that came along by the sensual touch of their melded bodies.  
"Please take the pain off of me", Lisa begged weakly, still sensing the heavy burden on her soul. Her voice sounded muffled as she spoke against his skin. There was no questioning and no hesitation to what she meant as Jack put her back on the ground, leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. The time stopped as they stood there on the field, entwined in each other like they did in the good old days. This time however it was much more intense. The salty taste of her tears moisten his lips as he moved against hers willing to deepen the kiss. A sharp bolt run through Lisa's whole body when their lips parted. Heat was boiling up within her that surrounded her crooked heart with warmth. Bit by bit the wall of pain crumbled down only to regenerate what once was there – comfort, safety and love. Love for this old archaic cowboy. She hadn't felt something so soothing for a very long time. It was the key that brought her soul back into life. Here she was. Being at the right place with the right man. She was back on the right track and it felt damn good to walk on safe ground.  
It didn't take long when she was already longing for some air, but Jack kept going and pushed her back against his truck. The edge of the truck bed cut into her back as he pressed his body hard against hers.  
'He is out of his mind', Lisa thought but despite her breathlessness she couldn't resist to play along. Her heart and her sanity fought a fierce battle.  
"Jack, stop...Stop, please.", Lisa finally managed to get out in between some kisses and was able to get a little bit space between them. When she looked into his eyes it was as if she looked straight into home. Yet, there was something that bothered her. Something that didn't let her go on.  
"What is it?", he was somewhat afraid he had gone too far again. His grip tightened around her – just in case. He wouldn't let her go a second time.  
"I've never cheated on someone before." she admitted talking about Renard who hat no clue at all what was going on nor where she was.  
"You didn't tell him yet?"  
Lisa shook her head ruefully.  
He took a moment of consideration.  
"You know. I have done a lot of things in my life. Crazy things, but I've never had an affair before.", he said with the most boyish smirk on his face. Lisa laughed softly and it was the most beautiful thing he had heard in months.  
In fact Jack had never been so damn selfish before but this was his last chance. This handsome successful French guy could have any other woman. Lisa belonged to him. She was his very last chance to love truly. So, it didn't matter to him if she was still in a relationship with this Renard, because practically it didn't work anyway and it won't work in the future. Jack had gained too much life experience to know when two people weren't meant for each other. He knew Lisa better than Renard did. Yes, there might have been a time where he indeed was in her league, but Lisa's relationship to Jack had changed her. She wasn't the woman he heard about before they met and she wasn't the woman he got to know back at the open house-barbecue or the fisherman's cabin. They shared a much longer history than she had with this Renard. A history that they had written together and that had an impact on the two of them. They both changed, but they changed to fit even more perfectly together. They had changed for each other. Jack gave himself the right to act selfish. It was his turn now.  
So, he put on a determined expression and moved his hands to her hips. With ease he lifted her up onto the load space of the car that they had been leaning on the whole time. A soft surprised sound escaped Lisa's mouth to this unexpected and sudden movement. Automatically he landed in between her legs as she flung her arms around his neck to find some balance.  
"I want you more than I need you.", he whispered close to her face before he started to move his lips over her cheek, down to the side of her neck, pushing the collar of her shirt to the side only to places kisses on her collarbone. "Lisa, I need you so bad.", he finished breathlessly. His hands had already found their way under her jacket, no, under her shirt now and moved upwards, sliding over her skin, leaving a track of goosebumps. Lisa sighed softly to this intimate moment before she realized what actually was happening.  
'What the heck was going on here', it shot through her mind.  
It was neither the right place nor the right time for this. There were things that still needed to be cleared first. And after all they were in the middle of some field not far form the ranch. Anybody could be up here any minute.  
"Jack. I'm serious. Stop.", the sanity of her spoke. This time she pushed him back forcefully. "we can't do this now.", she said and it was the second time in two days that she had trouble to go on. Lisa couldn't do that relationship with Renard and now she couldn't go on with Jack. Yet, it was different. Whatever this was between her and Jack right now, she hoped it would continue, but it all was happening too fast. Renard had the right to know. She owed that to him.  
Despite Jack's uncertain look on his face, she pushed him back a bit more and slid down from the truck. Her legs were still a bit wobbly due to the arousing occurrence. To be honest, she felt slightly dizzy but all in all there was a good feeling that spread through her body. Still, she needed to leave. This whole current situation was just too overwhelming. Not thinking about it twice, Lisa rushed over to her car, searching for the keys which still stuck in the ignition. While she frisked her clothes with shaking fingers, she turned around to see if she had lost the keys somewhere by the truck, but her eyes came to a halt on Jack who still stood at the place where she had left him, staring at her with some kind of lost expression.  
Watching her leaving like this brought back all the memories from the past and it brought back all the negative feelings that rose in him when he realized that he was about to loose her. Jack was frightened that it would happen yet another time. He wouldn't survive another time loosing that woman. He was worried that she would never ever coming back again if she left him now. This thought paralysed him and he couldn't do one single step to run after her. Luckily, Lisa turned around and seemed to understand what held him back.  
She understood that she had to make a promise. With three strides she reached him. Her faithful eyes looked up at him. The characteristic sparkle in them was back again. There they were, her icy blue eyes that shone just for him.  
One hand moved up his chest as she spoke.  
"I will be back.", she leaned over and emphasized that promise with a soft, yet meaningful kiss, before she turned around to walk back to her car. The whole time Jack never left the spot he was standing on. He watched her as she got in her car, found the keys, backed up and drove the way back towards the ranch, vanishing behind the hill.  
He stood there for next half an hour, trying to understand what had just happened and what might happen from now on. Jack hoped imploringly that Lisa would keep the promise she just made.

( _Phew_ , again! Hope you like that chapter!  
I am thinking about one or two more chapters... not sure yet :/ )


	8. Chapter 8

(I am so sorry for this very late upload! This week was just crazy! Couldn't find any time to write the next chapter. I promised to upload it today. So here you go. It's not the best, sorry for that too. My head is just like "Splat. Roadkill splat", as Lisa expressed herself so nicely once HA)

Chapter 8

'Shoot!'  
About three dozen eyes watched her as she drove down Fairfield's driveway while she approached the main square of her home.  
Lisa totally forgot about the dismissal of her staff! She had planned a nice farewell get-together with a speech and a little barbecue afterwards. She owed that to all the people that had worked so hard for her over all those years. Those people that were more than employees. They have grown to be an important part of her business. Fairfield would have never turned out that successful without people that pulled together in good and in hard times. But now with everything that was going on these days Lisa completely forgot. There was nothing that was prepared beforehand. The crowd stood on an empty main square. Many of them in their best clothes, one of them holding on to a big and colourful bouquet of flowers that seemed to be the farewell present for her.  
When Lisa stopped the car and got out, she felt like the worst human on earth. She felt so bad at this current moment. How could she have forgotten!  
Questioning faces followed her as she made her way towards the crowd, not sure if she should look at them or not.  
"Lisa, are you alright? We were really worried!", Steward said while stepping forward. He was one of the few people that had been with Fairfield from the start. Over all those years he had become more like a father to her and he had always been a good adviser in the horse breeding business. Right now he was really worried that something bad happened or that she was hurt.  
Lisa looked at him and patted his arm, assuring him that she was okay. She really needed a plan right now. Quickly.  
"Listen everyone, I am really sorry for this situation. Things have changed a bit but there are still things I have to take care of. So, I want all of you to go home and wait for my call.", Lisa said loudly, looking into the familiar but unsettled faces. "Please, don't worry. Everything is gonna be alright. Just go home for now.", she urged them and hoped that no one would come to the idea to ask her any questions about it. She still didn't really have a plan right now.  
Luckily, one by one walkeds back to their cars, still with worried faces. Some of them looked at Lisa with weird faces, others smiled faintly at her, waved timidly and left as well. When the place was finally empty, Lisa took a deep breath, turned around and made her way towards the house, when suddenly she spotted Renard standing on the driveway. He had been watching the whole uncomfortable situation from over there.  
Lisa took an even deeper breath. She knew what was coming next.  
Renard looked hat her, arms crossed and with narrow eyes. He was upset, Lisa could tell that by the distance as she walked over.  
"Where have you been?", he confronted her immediately, blocking the way she was about to go. Lisa stopped in front of him. She couldn't run away any longer. The sooner she would talk to him, the sooner she could go on with her decision.  
"It's...I...", Lisa tried to find a start. But Renard interrupted her before she could say anything else.  
"It's him isn't it? It's Mr. Flemming right?", he spit out slightly angry.  
"Bartlett.", Lisa corrected silently.  
"What?"  
"His name is Jack Bartlett and yes, your are right. It's about him.", this time a bit louder.  
"So is he the reason of everything that is going on? Why you decided to live in France? And is he the cause of all the trouble you put yourself through the last year?" he asked, counting one and one together.  
She nodded her head, unable to look at him. He was right. She should have told him much sooner.  
"And to be honest, he is the reason why you wanted to come back, isn't he? You know that you could have sold Fairfield from our place."  
No! She came back to sell her place, didn't she? But maybe Renard wasn't that wrong. Maybe deep down something told her to give herself another chance. Maybe she did wanted to see Jack again, but she had never noticed it. Until now. Renard was right. The whole procedure to put Fairfield on the market and to sell it off could have been done in Europe. This should have been pretty easy. Except the fact that Lisa would have to dismiss all her employees from France, too. Something she would not have liked. But all this was not the reason why she wanted to come back. She told herself so, but the true reason was her old life. The life she had with Jack. The life she had with him on Heartland. She missed all of that. The sensitive touches of his hands and his lips still burnt on her skin where they had left multiple invisible traces of love and passion. Thinking about the pressure of his body against hers aroused her just another time. Lisa swallowed and tried to concentrate on the current moment. She had to tell Renard. Now.  
"I guess you are right about that, too.", she stopped but carried on quickly before he would interrupt her again. "Renard, I am in love with him. I have never stopped to love him. When we split, I tried to persuade myself to forget about it and to carry on with my life, pretending that everything is fine. But I have lived a lie. I have been suffering, Renard. The whole last year. Maybe you have never understood where all of this was coming from and I am sorry that I haven't told you earlier. It's my fault. But I cannot pretend any longer. My heart belongs to him.", she stopped, thinking about what to say next. There were so many thoughts in her head. So many things that needed to be said so he would understand how much she wanted to be with Jack and how less she could be with him.  
Renard still looked at her, his mouth slightly open and with an expression that tried to comprehend what she just told him.  
"So what are you saying?", he pushed her. He wanted the facts. Lisa swallowed another time.  
"I won't sell Fairfield and I won't move to France. I know it's probably too much to ask you to understand, but-"  
"You are leaving me, right?", he asked bluntly and despite the decision she had already made for herself, she was a bit taken back by him saying those words she didn't dare to speak out during the last days. But yes, those were the words that needed to be said. She was leaving him.  
"Yes.", Lisa said after a bit of hesitation but this time it wasn't hard to look at him. A long moment of silence between them.  
"Then that's it? Is that all you have to say?"  
Lisa didn't know what else he wanted to hear. Yes, that was it. Okay, she had to admit, she wasn't being fair right now. After all it was him who took care of her during those months of her emotional crisis. God knows where she would have ended up if they haven't met. She owed him a lot and treating him like that wasn't nice. Lisa didn't want to be in a conflict with him. So she was trying to find something to say but like always he interrupted her before she even got a chance to open her mouth. This habit had grown into something Lisa really hated about him. He seldom gave her enough time to explain herself.  
"You are disappointing me, Lisa. You are giving it all up. All the chances that are waiting for us in Europe. All the success and all the-"  
"Renard.", she interrupted him this time. _This_ was just another thing that bothered Lisa about him: always talking about business first. She was really annoyed right now. "Don't you get? Don't you get that I have never really wanted all of _that_? It has always been you who wanted that for me. You wanted it. Yes, I played along because, like I said, I tried to forget everything that I had here before I came to France. I tried to build up a new life. But somehow my life has become more and more your life!" Lisa stopped for second and tried to catch her breath before she added what was burning on her tongue: "And I want it back!"  
The silence that lay between them was dangerous. Lisa was afraid that he would burst out into an angry speech about her being the worst person for treating him like this. Both of them knew that hard times lay behind them. Their relationship had often suffered from the things Lisa was dealing with but somehow Renard always found a way to distract her from her pain. She appreciated the effort he made for her but then there was the sudden realisation of feeling like a puppet. Renard was using her as a puppet to make a name for himself. And that's was probably the true reason why he asked her to marry him. Being married to one of the top horse breeders in whole Europe. That sounded like a plan. Lisa got more and more angry as she realized what he was really up to. If she was right with her assumption that is.  
Expanding her breeding business was a great idea, but it wasn't that important to her. She liked what she had here on Fairfield. She liked that it gave her just enough time to build up something like a private life. She loved the life she had over the last years and now it was time to carry on with that instead of building up something completely new. With someone who acted so selfish.  
"Fine. Okay, fine. You know Lisa, you are saying that you are leaving me but to be honest, you already left me even before we came here, didn't you?", he confronted her, trying to make her feel guilty. Yet, Lisa didn't give him this satisfaction.  
"I guess my heart was never really with you.", she answered coldly. Renard raised one eyebrow and both hands in a defensive gesture.  
"Alright. I will leave first thing in the morning. Don't bother taking me to the airport.", he said but what he he actually meant was that he didn't want to see her when he would leave tomorrow. He turned around and vanished into the house to pack his personal things.  
Lisa looked after him as she tried to understand what just happened.  
It was already late and the thought that she had to spent one more night with him in her house made her feel very uncomfortable. Again the urge to drive back to Heartland grew within her, but this time she needed to resist this feeling. She couldn't go back just now. Everything was just too recent. Too new. Everyone needed time to think and to settle down. Yet, there still were those hot traces on her skin where he had touched her not that long ago. It made it hard to hold back the emotions. Her body was screaming to return to where she would feel secure and home. She wanted to return into his arms for the night.

(I won't find any time to write the last chapter in the next days. I hope you are patient enough until the week after next. Sorry again!)


	9. Chapter 9last Chapter

(9th and last chapter, guys!  
I am really sorry again that I wasn't able to upload earlier! The heat over here is just eating up all my energy... anyway, I managed to write something. It's shorter than I hoped it would be but than again...the heat, you know ...  
So enjoy the final chapter of "Back to you")

Chapter 9

It was dark. In fact too dark for the thing that just woke Jack from his restless slumber. He had been laying awake for many hours before his eyes got too heavy to stay open and the long-awaited sleep finally crept in. But now some strange noise woke him up again. Jack sighed frustrated as he reached for the lamp on the nightstand. The alarm clock told him that it was three o'clock in the morning. It was indeed too early for the noise he heard that sounded like an approaching car outside on the driveway. Since Jack always kept a bedroom window open, he was probably the only one who noticed. Now that it was quiet again, he wasn't really sure if it was just an imagination or if really someone was outside. Luckily, it didn't happen very often that something bad would happen in the middle of the night, but it surely wouldn't be the first time. So it was better to make sure that everything was alright than to go back to sleep. With an even heavier sigh Jack got up. His bones complained to that unfamiliar hour of action. Before he left the room he slipped into his shirt and closed at least the last three buttons over his under shirt. As he strode through the kitchen the quiet noise of a closing car door was audible.  
Somebody was outside.  
Jack's eyes narrowed. Should he head back and get his shotgun from the closet? You never knew. Especially now to this godforsaken time. It was too late to turn around as he could already hear gritting footsteps on the rocky driveway. Heck, his ears worked pretty well for his age.  
Close to the door, he grabbed the broom that stood next to the sink in the entrance hall.  
'Come what may, he had a broom. A broom for god's sake!' Jack thought ironically.  
Well, if it was Lisa's French hottie who came for revenge than a broom would fit him well to beat him across and off his property. Jack could deal with him. He hoped.  
His heart run faster as he pushed the door open and stepped outside on the porch. Since Jack didn't turn on the light intentionally, he hardly saw anything but could make out the outlines of someone who stood down by the stairs.  
"Who's there!" He kept his voice down so the other's wouldn't wake up but the words left his mouth with a threatening tone.  
Silence lay in the air. Not even an animal or the wind dared to speak up.  
Jack's hand held the broom with clenched fingers, ready to defend himself and everything that was dear to him. Sure, he couldn't see much at the moment but he knew this place better than this stranger did.  
"Say something!", Jack demanded with an even more tremendous voice.  
"It's me, Jack.", a female voice said softly. As soon as he recognized it as Lisa's, Jack hastily switched on the porch light, that was inside the entrance hall right next to the door. The broom still in his hand he turned around to look at Lisa who still stood down by the stairs. She looked, like him, slightly messed up. Her brown hair was loosely tied together into a ponytail which missed some strands that now moved lightly in the nightly cool breeze. Her arms were crossed over her coat to keep it closed over her upper body. Only up by the neck and with a glance downwards Jack could see that she wore something like a pyjama underneath. She must have fallen out of bed like he just did. She looked as sleepless as he himself. Still, her appearance didn't change anything about how he felt about her. To him she was the most beautiful woman he could have ever wished for in his life and after that abruptly interrupted moment at the field earlier, it was hard for him not to finish what they had started.  
Yet, that strange time of visit left him a bit uncertain. With an questioning expression he looked at her.  
"Hi.", she started carefully, a slim smile on the lips Jack was so crazy about.  
"Hi.", he responded dryly, still not sure what to make of this weird encounter and ready to listen to her to go on.  
"I just came to tell you that I am keeping Cinders...and that I won't sell Fairfield."  
'In other words that I broke up with Renard and that I won't move to France.', Lisa thought and hated herself for not telling him this instead.  
"You came to tell me this at three in the morning?", he said, knowing well that this couldn't and wasn't the reason why she was here at this current moment. Now it was on her to confirm it. Jack waited.  
Lisa realized how stupid it was to drive all the way out here and to come up with such a poor explanation. Of course it was true, but it wasn't the reason why she stood on his property right now. Yes, at three o'clock in the morning.  
She shook her head while eventually finding the right words that would express exactly what she felt and why she, after tossing herself from one side to the other in bed, decided to follow the urge to see him.  
"I want you beside me at night." she said plainly but her voice was shaky. Her eyes never left his.  
After a moment of comprehension Jack finally put the broom aside and reached out to her. He still stood on the porch and had to lean over a bit to stretch out his hand down towards her. Without any consideration Lisa took it with a wide smile, while he guided her up the stairs and pulled her into his arms where she rested comfortably against his body.  
"Welcome back home.", he said barely audible before he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips onto hers for a kiss that told her how much he wanted the same thing.  
After yesterday's incident at the field, their get-together was much more real now. Despite the early hour they didn't act totally headless. Jack had really lost it yesterday. He had been all over her and he felt sorry about that. It was too fast and too soon. She still hadn't talked to her fiancé and he was already taking advantage of the situation – putting her in a quandary. He knew Lisa. She hated dishonesty and he was an idiot for not taking her worries about being unfaithful serious enough. She needed to know that he didn't mean to hurt her. Again.  
So he moved back just a bit. Her eyes were still closed, obviously taking in the effect the moment had on her.  
"I am sorry about yesterday.", Jack said anyway, referring to his feeling of guilt. She opened her eyes and smiled. It was a forgiving smile which also contained something like a mischievous glimmer. Maybe what happened at the field wasn't that bad. Jack grinned as well.  
"I love you." A whisper so quiet that Jack almost missed it. She didn't hold it against him. They were okay.  
"Love you, too."  
He let his hand slip into hers and guided her through the door into the house. Side by side they made their way quietly to the bedroom where, exhausted as she was, Lisa promptly fell asleep as soon as she lay in his arms. Due to all the stress she put herself through the last months and days she was too tired to talk. There was a lot both needed to talk about but this had to wait till morning. There would be enough time to catch up and to deal with what lay ahead.  
Jack wasn't sleeping. He still couldn't. As much as the fear that Lisa was about to leave for sure had left him sleepless, having her here, her warming body cuddled against his, didn't let him sleep either. Although he was much older and he had far less to offer and give her, he still won. He won her heart back and this young French man didn't stand a chance. Jack was proud. Not about himself, but of Lisa. He was proud that she chose a life of kindness, benevolence, solidarity and love over a life of success, money and selfishness. This was Lisa. His Lisa. Yes, she was wealthy, but it didn't matter. Not to him and not to her. They were just Jack and Lisa, two people that loved each other. Despite all the differences.  
His fingers kept combing gently through her hair while her head rested on his shoulder. Every now and then he would place a soft kiss on her forehead or stroking her hand, that lay on his chest. She didn't know what was hidden underneath her palm, inside that little breast pocket of Jack's shirt.  
It was the ring. The ring Jack used to carry around a long time ago and which of course he didn't throw into the wide open. He had put it back into his pocket, hoping that Lisa would come back, hoping that one day he would ask her to marry him. Now, here they were. She was back and he soon needed to find the right moment to finally bound her to him for the rest of his life.

(Thanks to all of you and your patience! Thx for following the story till the end.  
I am planning to write more Jisa fanfics and there are a few ideas in my head but somehow none of them really rises my motivation to put it onto paper(computer). Maybe you have ideas or suggestions? I am thinking about something more dramatic. Let me know in the reviews.  
Have a wonderful day/night/whatever :P )


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